New Microsoft VP consigns the PC to irrelevance

Yeah, but they can't get rich on OEMs. I suspect it is mainly Office that drives their revenue.

The last time I heard something like that, a CEO "got his retirement"... **cough-Ballmer-cough**

jimbo45 said:

"The Fruit company" doing better -- well if you go by the Markets assessment the Stock is still HUGELY off its high point whereas Ms is around 40 USD -- just a few months ago it was around 25 USD.

whs said:

Yeah, but they can't get rich on OEMs. I suspect it is mainly Office that drives their revenue.

How long will their stock price hold?

People on the EightForums are suggesting (obviously without realising it) that MS is going to voluntarily give up, $100B to $300B in income from Office.
Microsoft as a Subscription?

Tablets are still going to enjoy a better run than netbooks did. Netbooks and tablets are niche products intended to fill the space between notebooks/laptops and smart phones, much like the Edsel was intended to fill the gap between Fords and Mercurys. The price difference was so small, most people opting to upgrade from Ford went on to Mercury (the hideous horse collar grill on the Edsel didn't help it any but, contrary to popular belief, was not the cause of its failure). In the case of tablets, people are finding that smartphones can do pretty much anything a tablet can do and are vastly more portable. Unless one is Captain Kangaroo, no one is going to have pockets big enough for most tablets (purses are a possible exception).

I don't really know what people do with a 'naket' tablet. I own a Nexus 7 since nearly 2 years which I practically always use with a BT keyboard that has a trackpad. Very rarely - when I watch a comic or Youtube video - do I use it without the keyboard.

And since the end of last year I own an Asus Transformer T100 that I have never used without the attached keyboard and a BT mouse. I have never yet detached the tablet part and used that by itself.

People that use the tablet as a tablet must have special skills typing with the on-board keyboard. I find that to be very awkward. I have done that a bit on my W8Phone, but that is painful.

The problem I see is just as Wolfgang has said,
On screen keyboard,
The only decent ones I've seen are on larger tablets,
Basically the same size as my laptop so where is the advantage ?
For me there is no advantage/ backpack,
Cheers.

ThrashZone said:

The problem I see is just as Wolfgang has said,
On screen keyboard,
The only decent ones I've seen are on larger tablets,
Basically the same size as my laptop so where is the advantage ?
For me there is no advantage/ backpack,
Cheers.

Reduced weight is the only real advantage.

While these small portable devises are possibly wonderful for the young with fast flexible fingers I find that at my age these small keyboards are a nightmare, so I just don't use them. My mobile phone is only used for emergencies & a back up phone if needed. Otherwise I use my desktop PC for emails & other correspondence.

Ranger4 said:

While these small portable devises are possibly wonderful for the young with fast flexible fingers I find that at my age these small keyboards are a nightmare, so I just don't use them. My mobile phone is only used for emergencies & a back up phone if needed. Otherwise I use my desktop PC for emails & other correspondence.

Also, after spending most of my life (which is pushing 65), I've never had the need to be connected 24/7, no matter where I am, and don't see the point in it now.